Before everyone flames me, I just want to say that I love Singapore Airlines. I know it’s everyone’s favorite airline (my 2nd favorite behind Thai Airways) but my flight last month was not usual for Singapore Airlines.

Work had me make a trip down to Singapore for a few days. Since I was going down to Singapore for a few days, I most certainly had to meet up with Ryanair!!! to raise some hell!

I wanted to fly on Thai Airways A340-600 but that flight fills up quick. To me, flying on a twin on a route where a 4-holer is an option is sacrilege. I really wanted to get the A340-600 flight but the mid-day flight was sold out as well as the day before and for the next three days. So I took Singapore Airlines which just uses a 777.
I’ve flown on Singapore Airlines 777 before and had a magnificent experience! Mainly because of their service and their meals. This time was a huge let down.

Check in went smooth with the Thai-based Singapore Airlines reservation agents.

As I’m walking to my gate, I see the beautiful Thai Airways A340-600 that I really wanted to fly on pushing back and headed for Singapore.

I get to my window seat and find the seats very comfortable.

It was a full flight. My seatmates was a friendly older British couple headed back home to Singapore.

We push back on time and off we go.

We take off in to the hot & hazy sun over Bangkok and bank southeastward towards Pattaya.

Koh Larn below

Pattaya

Now here is where the problems start. Service begins but only for some. This flight must have had at last 50 passengers with their ‘special dietary needs’. I understand there are some people that are diabetic or have allergies and can only eat certain foods. That’s fine. It’s the unusually large amounts of vegetarians, vegans, Halal or what ever their needs were that took service away from everyone else. I understand that the few special needs passengers get their meals first.
The flight attendants refused service to everyone else that didn’t have a special ‘need’ with their food. The flight attendant was extremely rude to the lady in the aisle seat in my row. She simply asked for water and was told to wait and the flight attendant was not friendly about it at all.

The family in front of us was over the top with their ‘needs’. Their 10 year old son kept complaining about his meal being too cold and again for not liking the flavor and wanted to try other dishes the airline had to offer. The flight attendant went back & forth THREE TIMES with a different meal just to appease this little brat!
When I was a kid traveling on an airplane, the thought of giving a flight attendant (stewardess in my day) a hard time was completely unheard of.

The older British lady asked again about a half hour later when our meals were going to come and the flight attendant was even nastier to her and told her not to ask again. Several other passengers had asked but the SQ crew didn’t seem interested in dealing with any non-special needs passengers for the first half of the flight. The older lady was polite both times but the Singapore girl was mean to her both times.

After 1 hour, we finally get our meals. It was good but not as good as the meal I had several years ago when I flew this route. It was chicken curry with rice and shrimp salad.
The beverage cart comes around and I asked for a whiskey & coke. The flight attendant gives me an annoyed look and asked if I wanted juice instead.
I gave her a stern look and pointed to the bottle of whiskey already on the beverage cart and told her I’ll have a whiskey coke.
What the hell?!?!?
I guess she didn’t know. When Superfly ask for a whisky & coke, don’t offer Hawaiian Punch! You ask Superfly if he wants it shaken or stirred!
...and don’t forget the swizzle stick!

My goodness! This crew must have lost their minds!
The service was rushed since this is a 2 hour flight. Service for the rest of us passengers without food hang-ups didn’t get any service for the first hour of flight. Then in-flight service ended prematurely. We only had about 30 minutes of service and no one was getting service as soon as our descent to Singapore started.
I really thought Singapore Airlines would have had a better handle on things.
Perhaps it’s time for that crew to Scoot…..

I didn’t take any photos because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.

Arrive in Singapore, check in with customs and hop on the MRT to my hotel. This time I stayed in the Geylang district. This area in known for it’s street vendors and selection of good food.
I check in to my hotel.

Later met up with the famous Ryanair!!!.
We planned on raising some hell and starting trouble but we both had an early morning the next day and I was coming down with a cold.
So we drank as responsible adults the first night.
Had some great Chinese-Singaporean food!
Thanks steering me in the right direction on food.

Later that night, me & Ryanair!!! went spotting at SIN. Even though it was night, we had a great view of the bay and saw planes fly in really low. Nothing interesting flying in, just a bunch of twin jets. For the first time, I heard wake turbulence loud & clear. THAT was cool!

Ryanair!!! takes me back and he heads off home.

View from my hotel the following morning.

The following day, I did some sightseeing and met up with another friend. One thing I like about Singapore is that they use the Toyota Crown Comfort as their taxis. They are far more comfortable than the little crap-box cars used as taxis here in Bangkok. These have a high roofline and are easy to get in & out for us big people.

Construction for a new stadium of some sort.

The cheapest store in Singapore

I love this building! The Park Royal which I find more attractive than the Marina Bay Sands building.

Waiters playing in a water fountain. I thought people get cained for doing this kind of stuff in Singapore.

Civil defense patrol. Looks like something I’d see in a Sci-fi movie.

The new world….

Heavy-handed government that charge tolls to drive downtown.

Was supposed to meet up again with Ryanair!!! but work requirements kept him tired up. I had done enough sightseeing already so decided to stay close to my hotel. The Geylang district is also the red light district. Not sure why my boss put me in the red light district….
That didn’t bother me but the large groups of men just standing around loitering standing around like zombies was kind of odd. They should go inside the place of entertainment rather stand around. Most looked to be from Bangladesh or India.

I decided to call it a night and have a few fine beers I can’t get in Thailand.
Had a lot to do the next day before my flight home.

Housing along MRT to SIN.

Check in to SIN the following day. No problems to report.
Had some really good Indian curry chicken in the airport.

We board on time.

We push back on time.

Ryanair!!!'s Scoot

I didn’t notice on the previous flight. The armrest has a hole with a lid over it. I stuck my finger in the hole but nothing happened.
What is this for?

The service was MUCH better on the return flight and what I’d expect on Singapore Airlines. The food was some kind of fish with pasta and creamy sauce with vegetables and a few other things. This crew was generous with the booze as well. No fussy passengers with food hang ups either.

Despite the first leg of the trip, I’ll still fly SQ in the future. My hope is that this was an exception and not a new trend at Singapore Airlines.

Wow, thanks for that report. Shocking service on that outbound, absolutely shocking.

Never experienced that kind of appalling service on SQ but I do have a story.

I did once have a crew member that was not up to standard and was rather cold. I asked him politely for a feedback form and his name (you should try this sometime but it should never ever have to get that bad, totally unacceptable) and he then asked what my feedback was regarding and I said "You, of course." He apologised for his service repeatedly. I told him to "Give me a reason not to write up." He had nothing to say, I then passed the form to the Inflight Supervisor whilst deplaning and mentioned the crew member's name and said he was unacceptable.

That slot in the armrest used to be an ashtray I think though not entirely sure and I believe is only fitted on the pre-2000 777s so I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't fitted on your outbound flight at all.

What'd you think of the Barons beer? I'm not keen on strong beer. Are you not a fan of Tiger?

Quoting PRAirbus (Reply 1):Often passengers are spoiled, rude and tacky! Good for the Singapore Girl, glad she did not put up w/"abuse"! Good for her!

What? The crew are SUPPOSED to tolerate such passengers, it's part of their job. If they can't handle that or feel they are above that level they shouldn't be serving cabins, on SQ anyway. I never understand people that believe crew have the right to treat their customers badly, as I mentioned in another thread, if I were to respond that way to my clients I'd get sacked, such crews should too.

"I do not yet know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course." - Lee Kuan Yew

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The flight attendants refused service to everyone else that didn’t have a special ‘need’ with their food. The flight attendant was extremely rude to the lady in the aisle seat in my row. She simply asked for water and was told to wait and the flight attendant was not friendly about it at all.

Well, this is nothing but the main FA fault. Knowing he has so many special meals he should have started service early, or to give meals all at once, can't blame the FAs for bad management.

Yet, their rudeness is unexplainable. All i can say that is better then other airlines - when I flew one of those nutrios turkish charter airlines (air anatolia maybe?) I asked for water, and the FA keep waiting shouting "later" without even looking at me, and kept walking. Yet, not something you expect from Singapore airlines.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):Arrive in Singapore, check in with customs and hop on the MRT to my hotel. This time I stayed in the Geylang district. This area in known for it’s street vendors and selection of good food.
I check in to my hotel

What the hell is the blue chair in the back?! how do you use it?

Thx for shearing! Jonathan

"In Israel, on order to be a realist, one's must believe in miracles" - David Ben Gurion.

Great report as usual. Don't blame you for wanting the Thai A340-600. Flown on it once and it was one of the best experiences.

Let me guess, you either stayed at a Fragrance hotel or a Hotel 81 (which should probably be called the Hotel 69 chain). It certainly wasn't a birthing chair, as these are largely unneeded in Singapore.

I feel sorry for reading this report.
Though I seldom travels on SQ now, I recalled 10 years ago, while getting married in US and heading back to Taiwan, I was on a SQ flight that was full and indeed experienced this much delayed food service, in the name of special meal service. I recalled we waited at least one hour after all special meal were served. And another one hour when our plates are been retrieved. My wife, who had been repeatedly informed by me on how good Singapore airlines is, looked at me with her eye opened and annoyed.
I then told the chief pursor and the next round of breakfast, we were served first.
You have to bring the matter to the management and should not tolerate such. Especially from reading on how rude the FA is, on your drinks, as well as to others. Bad member should be repriminded and should never be part of the team that hurts the image of the company.
Very sad and shocked to hear.
I travelled much on CX, and on occasion, I encounter service that are not up to standard, I always get some good answer or apology after bring the matter up. That is one of the reason, I remain a loyal CX passenger.

Interesting TR. I'll skip over the many misinformed comments made by the OP (Eg. "waiters" playing in a water fountain... really?! They are school kids from a religious school)

The service onboard the BKK-SIN flight sounds pretty bad. However, if I was part of the family with the "bratty" kid, I'll be writing a totally different TR on how wonderful and accommodating SQ was :P

On flights to India (especially on certain days where a significant amount of passengers observe vegetarianism) the crew use the carts down the aisles handing out the vegetarian meals to passengers that ordered them, at times this can be the majority of the cabin and as a result passengers who haven't ordered a special meal feel left out and often ask the cabin crew why they haven't received meals when others are eating. This is usually coupled with many drink requests simply because the crew are present. I frequent BOM and when flying in Y sometimes I don't receive my meal until 2 hours after departure, on SQ424 which has a 8PM departure this means not getting to eat until 10, sometimes later if we experience bad weather over the Bay of Bengal and crew have to take their seats. Lesson learned, pig out at the SKL beforehand.

"I do not yet know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course." - Lee Kuan Yew

Quoting SIA747Megatop (Reply 7):Wow, thanks for that report. Shocking service on that outbound, absolutely shocking.

Never experienced that kind of appalling service on SQ but I do have a story.

Hello and great to see some locals in Singapore chime in. What you said in your story did cross my mind but I chose to let it roll off my back. If the return flight had been the same I would have done so.

Quoting celestar (Reply 10):I feel sorry for reading this report.
Though I seldom travels on SQ now, I recalled 10 years ago, while getting married in US and heading back to Taiwan, I was on a SQ flight that was full and indeed experienced this much delayed food service, in the name of special meal service. I recalled we waited at least one hour after all special meal were served. And another one hour when our plates are been retrieved. My wife, who had been repeatedly informed by me on how good Singapore airlines is, looked at me with her eye opened and annoyed.

We all have our bad days. They're humans like everyone else and there are days I'm not performing at 100%. My guess is that something went wrong on the ground that caused much of the crew to be cranky.
Bangkok to Singapore is only a 2 hour flight and that is a short window to serve a fully loaded 777.

Quoting SIA747Megatop (Reply 12):On flights to India (especially on certain days where a significant amount of passengers observe vegetarianism) the crew use the carts down the aisles handing out the vegetarian meals to passengers that ordered them, at times this can be the majority of the cabin and as a result passengers who haven't ordered a special meal feel left out and often ask the cabin crew why they haven't received meals when others are eating.

Perhaps a 2nd cart with only vegetarians should go down the aisles as well instead of having the regular food waiting in back.
It's not just the special meals that annoyed me, it was that many of them were complaining and telling the F.A.s to go back & fourth with the meals while others hadn't eaten anything at all.

Quoting EL-AL (Reply 8):Knowing he has so many special meals he should have started service early, or to give meals all at once, can't blame the FAs for bad management.

Quoting SIA747Megatop (Reply 7):What'd you think of the Barons beer? I'm not keen on strong beer. Are you not a fan of Tiger?

I like Barons beer a lot! It was really good. Has a full body flavor but it slowed me down the next day.
Tiger is a girly beer but I'll drink it when it's extremely hot outside and/or if I'm going to be drinking a lot.
It's brewed here in Thailand as well.

Thanks for sharing this interesting and unusual report. I feel sorry for you to have such an unusually atrocious service on a Singapore Airlines flight.

Personally it has been years since my last SQ flight, and although I heard from colleagues who were flying on their flights frequently that their service has declined from what they were in 1990-2000s, your trip report was a real shock! I think the way you (and other passengers) in your section treated were not tolerable.

I was just wondering if you bring this matter up to the SQ management, probably via letter or email? It would be better if they could take a look on this TR. Anyway, I hope this is not becoming a new trend of an SQ service.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):This flight must have had at last 50 passengers with their ‘special dietary needs’. I

I am sure they have been trained to deal with such occurrence, and certainly not an excuse to treat the other passengers rudely.

The crew on your flight must remember that they are serving the cabin of a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777, not a hawker center (even in a hawker center this behaiour shouldn't happen)..

Certainly I hope that you enjoyed your visit in Singapore much more than your Singapore-bound SQ flight, and great to see you have an enjoyable sightseeing around the city-state.

I was shocked to hear of the service you got on SQ. I have never flown them, but I have always heard their service is great. Sorry you could not fly TG A340-600. I flew on it BKK-HND 2 years ago. It had a great inflight entertainment system.

Do you live in Bangkok? I have lived here for 3 years, after living near Tokyo for 4 years. I am retired from AA, so I can still fly space available on AA and most other airlines. I use TG, JL and NH when I fly to NRT/HND and CX and TG flying to HKG. I have also flown EK A380 BKK-HKG-BKK. The asian airlines really give great service

Yesterday I rode the van from Rangsit to Mo Chit. We passed by DMK and I noticed several TG A340-600's parked there. I don't know if they are being serviced or taken out of service. I know TG uses them on the ultra long haul flights to LAX but I don't know if that route is still being flown today.

The unfortunate experience on your flight might be a one off hopefully.

I prefer what EK does on flights to India - to avoid a delay, they offer the Asian Veg Meals and Hindu Veg Meals as a meal choice on the menu, i am sure this saves a lot of time rather than handing out individual trays.

The down side of this - often i have seen them run out of vegetarian options because they are unable to keep a track of which seats have pre-ordered a veg meal.

Come to think of it, last year I flew Thai Airways to Dhaka, Bangladesh on a 777-200.
Just like this flight, many people with special dietary needs due to the large number of Muslim & Hindu passengers. I don't recall service being interrupted at all. It was the same aircraft type, same number of passengers and was also a 2 hour flight.
I was chowing down on a delicious chicken curry dish less than 30 minutes after takeoff and had already finished my first vodka tonic.

Quoting HOONS90 (Reply 14): It goes to show that even the best of airlines screw up from time to time.

Seriously I may have to reconsider Korean Air despite being a Skyteam member.
Ordering the A380 and 747-8I is fantastic!

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 15):I feel sorry for you to have such an unusually atrocious service on a Singapore Airlines flight.

Well I wouldn't say "atrocious". Just a stressful situation for everyone. If they're going to be rude to any passengers, it should be to the ones who kept demanding a new tray of food because they didn't like the flavor. I felt that those passengers demanding special meals and taste test were very inconsiderate of the other passengers.

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 15):I was just wondering if you bring this matter up to the SQ management, probably via letter or email? It would be better if they could take a look on this TR. Anyway, I hope this is not becoming a new trend of an SQ service.

No it's not that serious. I don't like tattle-tellers. Again, I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Considering the flights SQ flies, I'm sure they usually have a handle on these situations. It's best this happened on a short BKK-SIN route instead of their premium long-haul routes on their A380s.

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 15):Certainly I hope that you enjoyed your visit in Singapore much more than your Singapore-bound SQ flight, and great to see you have an enjoyable sightseeing around the city-state.

Thanks and it's always a pleasure to visit your city-state.
If you're ever in Bangkok, let me know. I'll show you around.

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 15):Haha, the first time I see this cool vehicle inside the forum. I believe they had just finish responding to a call, instead of patrolling. The Civil Defense is equivalent to a fire brigade.

Quoting triple7man (Reply 16):Yesterday I rode the van from Rangsit to Mo Chit. We passed by DMK and I noticed several TG A340-600's parked there. I don't know if they are being serviced or taken out of service. I know TG uses them on the ultra long haul flights to LAX but I don't know if that route is still being flown today.

Sure those were not the A340-500?
Those did the non-stop to Los Angeles and New York.

Quoting McHobNob (Reply 17):I prefer what EK does on flights to India - to avoid a delay, they offer the Asian Veg Meals and Hindu Veg Meals as a meal choice on the menu, i am sure this saves a lot of time rather than handing out individual trays.

Reminds me of my SQ trip in 2009 from Delhi to Singapore. Indians are very fussy so about 80 percent of the flight had special meals which were all brought out 1 by 1 so the rest of us had to wait 2.5 hours into the 4 hour flight to get our normal meal.

Similar to your experience, I don't really fancy SQ's service on these short-haul flights. Prefers TG by a mile as they can serve a full load of pax on a 772/773 with additional beverages rounds and clear your trays within 1hr after takeoff on a SIN-BKK vv sector, leaving the remaining hour for rest or inflight entertaiment, all the way till landing. Unlike SQ where it takes ages for the meals to be served and IFE unavailable for more than 1/4 of the flight... And of course, no rolling of eyes with special beverage requests on TG as everything is available on the drinks cart!

Quoting Superfly (Reply 13):I didn't know it was a short romance hotel until I got there.

I have checked into places before and discovered they are more than meets the eye. I remember one place in Montreal (which is now torn down), back in the late 1990s that had very short furniture and it wasn't a handicap room. Everything was so low to the ground I had a hard time using the furniture. I felt like a giant. I only stayed one night and then went to a regular hotel.

I'll have to tell you the story of the Dollar Inn, in Columbus, Indiana sometime; that was the saddest motel I ever spent the night in.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 18):If you have free time, let's meet up for a beer or 10.

Make it later this week and I'll join you. I'll be in BKK the 26th to the 4th.

It might look kind of weird, but I guess it isn't any kinkier than the coin-op vibrating beds you used to see at motels or the signs for the "free 24 hour adult movies", you see at some motels in Detroit.

Quoting celestar (Reply 10):I travelled much on CX, and on occasion, I encounter service that are not up to standard, I always get some good answer or apology after bring the matter up. That is one of the reason, I remain a loyal CX passenger.

I bet to differ. I was on a flight with them from BKK to HKG, the whole seat was broken, it wont stop reclining, the IFE box below was broken so the cables could be seen. The poor FA tried to tape it up (I would expect them to get BKK maintenance to quickly fix it) but the cables were all seen and sharp edges under my feet. I wrote to CX giving the FA the compliments for trying to fix the problems, but that I said their maintenance is not up to the standard. I know it was one of the regional A330-300, which is quite old, but this is not an excuse.

I copy below their reply to me, for your information:

'Thank you for taking the time to complete a comment card on board flight
CX702 whilst travelling from Bangkok to Hong Kong on 13 June 2013.

I am concerned to note your onboard experience with us and please accept
my apologies for any poor impression created.

Due to the complex nature of the product and the number of seats in use
daily, and despite our regular maintenance checks, such defects may
occasionally occur. Having said that, we are grateful to you for
bringing this matter to our attention and please be assured your
comments have been forwarded to the engineering maintenance team, who
will be taking necessary steps to rectify the same.

Musapapaya, on a brighter note, we are pleased to note that you were
satisfied with the services provided by (the FA) on this flight. We have
already passed your compliment to the relevant department, which will
certainly motivate the staff to continue and further improve their
professional standards of services in the future.

In closing, may we take this opportunity to thank you for choosing
Cathay Pacific and we look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you on
board another of our flights in the not too distant future.'

This reply basically told me nothing, nor was it sincere or apologetic enough.

Well I wont write any letters and I don't want anyone to get in trouble. Aren't I such a nice guy?

Quoting ycp81 (Reply 20):Similar to your experience, I don't really fancy SQ's service on these short-haul flights. Prefers TG by a mile as they can serve a full load of pax on a 772/773 with additional beverages rounds and clear your trays within 1hr after takeoff on a SIN-BKK vv sector, leaving the remaining hour for rest or inflight entertaiment, all the way till landing. Unlike SQ where it takes ages for the meals to be served and IFE unavailable for more than 1/4 of the flight... And of course, no rolling of eyes with special beverage requests on TG as everything is available on the drinks cart!

Quoting joffie (Reply 19):Reminds me of my SQ trip in 2009 from Delhi to Singapore. Indians are very fussy so about 80 percent of the flight had special meals which were all brought out 1 by 1 so the rest of us had to wait 2.5 hours into the 4 hour flight to get our normal meal.

Sounds like this happens often. Very interesting. Perhaps Singapore Airlines should take note from Thai Airways on efficiency of meal service on shorter flights.

My previous SQ flight a few years ago was the closest I've come to heaven! The service was out of this world and beyond perfect! I didn't want the plane to land. It was a BKK-SIN flight on their Star Alliance 777-200.
Everything was perfect but then again, there were probably no more than 70 passengers on this 777-200. It was mostly empty.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 21): I remember one place in Montreal (which is now torn down), back in the late 1990s that had very short furniture and it wasn't a handicap room. Everything was so low to the ground I had a hard time using the furniture. I felt like a giant. I only stayed one night and then went to a regular hotel.

I heard of midget fetishes.
That is twisted!

Quoting falstaff (Reply 21):Make it later this week and I'll join you. I'll be in BKK the 26th to the 4th.

impossible... I am too much of a redneck to live without my guns, gas engine collection and my Falstaff Beer stuff. I am sure I'll have fun and add BKK to my rotation of fun places to go on vacation. If I score some railroad signal contacts I might be able to have my dad go there for business and I could mooch off of him, that is the best way to go on vacation.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 18):Seriously I may have to reconsider Korean Air despite being a Skyteam member.
Ordering the A380 and 747-8I is fantastic!

You star Alliance guys are too high class; come on over and trash it up with us Skyteam hillbillies!

Supe, thanks for an excellent TR and for yet another encounter with your favorite OBGYN chair!

I do want to point out that when you buy a ticket on many Asian airlines (in India), they automatically put in a special meal order as part of 'good service'. So you end up gaming the system to make sure you don't have to wait for hours before you get your meal. It's not necessarily a veg vs non-veg thing. I ended up having a Hindu chicken meal DXB-JFK and I can assure you a Christian chicken tastes just as good.

I flew SQ last month from SIN to PVG and SIN to HKG. I had similar bad experience on all four legs. the crew were rude, no eye contact, and were rushing through out the flight. When I went in the rear galley to ask for a snack the SQ girl got upset, walked away came back with three bags of peanuts and said "that should be plenty for the flight." How rude? I was so embarrassed. She started talking to her male collegue in either Chinese or Malay about me. It sounded like I was bothering them. So I decided not to bother them for the rest of the flight. I have stopped flying SQ and use CX or JL even if takes longer. Good bye Singapore Airlines a bad way to fly.

Quoting triple7man (Reply 29):I'm not sure which ones. I just remember that the one I flew on had a very long fuselage.

Well they both do but the -600 is even longer. I know 1 was parked near the abandoned parking garage where there is a homeless camp. Great place to take photos.

Quoting comorin (Reply 27):Supe, thanks for an excellent TR and for yet another encounter with your favorite OBGYN chair!

Haha!

Quoting comorin (Reply 27): I ended up having a Hindu chicken meal DXB-JFK and I can assure you a Christian chicken tastes just as good.

I want a Hedonistic chicken.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 26):I am too much of a redneck to live without my guns, gas engine collection

Guns are easy to get here and there are lots of gas engine hobby guys here as well. The 'Detroit of the East' is just a 1 hour drive away.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 26):You star Alliance guys are too high class; come on over and trash it up with us Skyteam hillbillies!

Skyteam does have the Aeroflot IL-96 and Delta DC-9.
I may have to reconsider.

Quoting 744 (Reply 28): I had similar bad experience on all four legs. the crew were rude, no eye contact, and were rushing through out the flight. When I went in the rear galley to ask for a snack the SQ girl got upset, walked away came back with three bags of peanuts and said "that should be plenty for the flight." How rude? I was so embarrassed. She started talking to her male collegue in either Chinese or Malay about me. It sounded like I was bothering them. So I decided not to bother them for the rest of the flight. I have stopped flying SQ and use CX or JL even if takes longer. Good bye Singapore Airlines a bad way to fly.

WOW! I was hoping that my trip was an exception but now I'm reading more stories that are similar. Sad because I still want to like Singapore Airlines.

All I can say is that I've had my joys flying with SQ all these years, be it long, medium or short haul. Of late, I've only flown with them on short hops to CGK, BKK, and DPS just to name a few and I must admit I was nothing but impressed at their endless effort to serve and fulfill every single customer's needs within such a short flying time.

Maybe I should post another TR here. Meanwhile, I totally disagree with CX being a better airlines compared to SQ. CX can be very inconsistant sometimes...and one thing I hate the most from CX is their outdated fleet of 777s and 333s that seriously need immediate upgrading

Quoting groomyjl (Reply 31): I was nothing but impressed at their endless effort to serve and fulfill every single customer's needs within such a short flying time.

That's been most of my experiences with Singapore Airlines. This wasn't my first, nor last time flying with them. As I said in the OP, they're still one of my favorite airlines despite this 1 segment I had last month.

There is already hundreds, of SQ reports as it is. This single report won't sink their reputation. I've already mentioned the return segment was fantastic, like most other SQ flights.

Quoting groomyjl (Reply 31):one thing I hate the most from CX is their outdated fleet of 777s and 333s that seriously need immediate upgrading

Old planes never bothered me. One of the best in-flight service I've had was on Philippines Airlines on their worn & torn A330s (MNL-BKK).
My seat was stuck in the recline position and the CRT television screen only showed a snowy reception. Despite that, the lovely Philippines Airline F.A. were very friendly, some of the prettiest smiles, great tasting food and very generous with the booze. THAT is how I rate good airline service. I could care less about the latest & greatest electronic gadgets. Yet their are members that complain about not having a PTV.
Another flight I will always remember was on a Cubana IL-62. Yes the aircraft was old but the service was spectacular and that's what matters to me.

If I were to lose my A340-600 virginity it would definitely be on the TG A340-600!! What a beautiful bird...beautiful!!!

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):To me, flying on a twin on a route where a 4-holer is an option is sacrilege. I really wanted to get the A340-600

I so agree with you!!

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):I’ve flown on Singapore Airlines 777 before and had a magnificent experience! Mainly because of their service and their meals. This time was a huge let down.

Uh oh!!....SQ...what did I read that right....SQ....lol

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The flight attendants refused service to everyone else that didn’t have a special ‘need’ with their food. The flight attendant was extremely rude to the lady in the aisle seat in my row. She simply asked for water and was told to wait and the flight attendant was not friendly about it at all.

Wow somebody was having a bad day!

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The family in front of us was over the top with their ‘needs’. Their 10 year old son kept complaining about his meal being too cold and again for not liking the flavor and wanted to try other dishes the airline had to offer. The flight attendant went back & forth THREE TIMES with a different meal just to appease this little brat!

Were these downgraded Business Class passengers or family of some higher up at SQ?

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The beverage cart comes around and I asked for a whiskey & coke. The flight attendant gives me an annoyed look and asked if I wanted juice instead.
I gave her a stern look and pointed to the bottle of whiskey already on the beverage cart and told her I’ll have a whiskey coke.
What the hell?!?!?
I guess she didn’t know. When Superfly ask for a whisky & coke, don’t offer Hawaiian Punch! You ask Superfly if he wants it shaken or stirred!
...and don’t forget the swizzle stick!

Quoting Superfly (Reply 4):Yep, it's for purposes not meant to be discussed in an aviation forum.

Not sure I want to know lol

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):Later met up with the famous Ryanair!!!.
We planned on raising some hell and starting trouble but we both had an early morning the next day and I was coming down with a cold.
So we drank as responsible adults the first night.
Had some great Chinese-Singaporean food!
Thanks steering me in the right direction on food.

Later that night, me & Ryanair!!! went spotting at SIN. Even though it was night, we had a great view of the bay and saw planes fly in really low. Nothing interesting flying in, just a bunch of twin jets. For the first time, I heard wake turbulence loud & clear. THAT was cool!

A very entertaining and humorous report as always. I'm a bit shocked to hear about your treatment by SQ. I guess that even that best have their bad days. Hopefully this was just an isolated incident and not a sign that their short haul product is going downhill.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The family in front of us was over the top with their ‘needs’. Their 10 year old son kept complaining about his meal being too cold and again for not liking the flavor and wanted to try other dishes the airline had to offer. The flight attendant went back & forth THREE TIMES with a different meal just to appease this little brat!

Very disappointing. No wonder kids like that grow up to be spoiled. Of course it's the parents' fault. Too bad all this affected some of the other passengers' ability to enjoy a meal on time or at all.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):The beverage cart comes around and I asked for a whiskey & coke. The flight attendant gives me an annoyed look and asked if I wanted juice instead.
I gave her a stern look and pointed to the bottle of whiskey already on the beverage cart and told her I’ll have a whiskey coke.
What the hell?!?!?
I guess she didn’t know. When Superfly ask for a whisky & coke, don’t offer Hawaiian Punch! You ask Superfly if he wants it shaken or stirred!

OK, I've noticed that pretty much everyone so far has asked you about the chair, so I won't ask. I don't know how I would have felt having that thing in the room. It kinda creeps me out. I wonder how often they clean it.

glad we met up and I was beginning to wonder when was this report going to be up. Again, I was shocked at the level of service you received. I guess this was one of their MAJOR off days. A two hour flight might seem like an eternity for us sitting down but for these ladies, any slip up will cascade into a snowball of delays which will result in finishing the meal service late. Not exactly ideal.

SQ's meal offering dictates a FULL MEAL be served on this sector. Therefore when you have a cabin full of "special meals", it will definitely hold up everything else, very challenging. I have since stopped being so harsh on these service providers since i am now technically working in a similar industry. It isn't easy handling 101 request from 101 people all at the same time and as human beings, there is so much we can take. In your case, some of the girls broke down. Empathy is needed.

Next time you come to Singapore, please contact me first so I can give you a list of "safe hotels" to look at. LOL! By the way, I'll be coming up your way in Sept. Hope to see you (and Chris).

Anyway, I'll be on SQ (again) in a few weeks this time bound for Adelaide. A day time 8.5 hours haul.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 33):If I were to lose my A340-600 virginity it would definitely be on the TG A340-600!! What a beautiful bird...beautiful!!!

...and great service.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 33):Were these downgraded Business Class passengers or family of some higher up at SQ?

Not sure but I don't even see this behavior in Business Class either. The kid and his parents were out of line and the F.A. should have taken control of the situation and not them boss her around like that.

It's a rip off. It cost $32 to go up there. The Baiyoke II here in Bangkok is only $9 and the view is much better.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 33):Try a fully loaded EK B773ER on a sometimes 1 hour 50 min flight Karachi to Dubai...and serving a complete lunch...kudos to the crew on that EK flight for doing a great job

Quoting Widebodyroga (Reply 34):Very disappointing. No wonder kids like that grow up to be spoiled. Of course it's the parents' fault. Too bad all this affected some of the other passengers' ability to enjoy a meal on time or at all.

Quoting Widebodyroga (Reply 34):OK, I've noticed that pretty much everyone so far has asked you about the chair, so I won't ask. I don't know how I would have felt having that thing in the room. It kinda creeps me out. I wonder how often they clean it.

The hotel was very clean. It doesn't creep me out all. I think of all the romance and passion that chair brought to many couples. We just put a towel on top before we used it.

Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 35):glad we met up and I was beginning to wonder when was this report going to be up.

I've so darn busy and hadn't had the time to post earlier.

Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 35): for these ladies, any slip up will cascade into a snowball of delays which will result in finishing the meal service late.

I fully understand when there is weather delays or equipment issues. Unruly drama-queen passengers is no excuse.

Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 35): I have since stopped being so harsh on these service providers since i am now technically working in a similar industry.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 18):Well I wouldn't say "atrocious". Just a stressful situation for everyone. If they're going to be rude to any passengers, it should be to the ones who kept demanding a new tray of food because they didn't like the flavor. I felt that those passengers demanding special meals and taste test were very inconsiderate of the other passengers.

Forgive me if I was exaggerating with the word atrocious, but considering this is Singapore Airlines, the treatment given on your flight should be called as a serious incident to SQ service. On the other hand, I agree that those passengers are also partly to blame for the situation.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 18):No it's not that serious. I don't like tattle-tellers. Again, I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Considering the flights SQ flies, I'm sure they usually have a handle on these situations. It's best this happened on a short BKK-SIN route instead of their premium long-haul routes on their A380s.

That is really nice of you I have to agree with you that this kind of unpleasant experience could have been worse should it be a longer flight on a premium class A380s, or maybe on those ULH flights to EWR.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 18):Thanks and it's always a pleasure to visit your city-state.
If you're ever in Bangkok, let me know. I'll show you around

Thank you very much, I will let you know for sure if I have any plans visiting Bangkok in the future.

I used to be of the opinion that special meals should be served alongside the main meals in the cart but given the huge proportions of pax with special meals these days, I suppose it would be logistically too burdensome to do so.

If I am flying with someone who has requested a special meal, as is often the case, I usually advise the crew that I have a travel partner and could they serve my meal at the same time as theirs, or vice versa so we are not eating at discrepant times. With the exception of two grumpy refusals (both incidentally on the same airline, guess which!), they are usually happy to accommodate.

Another option is that on flights to destinations where there would be a critical mass of special meal passengers (e.g., vegetarian meals on flights to India; halal meals on flights to Saudi Arabia), simply institute those as regular choices on the menu, thereby obliterating the special meals deliveries.

I just did the SIN-BKK run on SQ978 a few days back. Meals were cleared just over and hour after takeoff and I must've had about 3/4 Singapore Slings during the flight - I was addressed by name and served with a smile each time. The flight, paired with a fantastic stay at the St.Regis has made for a great trip so far.

"I do not yet know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course." - Lee Kuan Yew

The meals still looked excellent. And it only goes to show SQ girls aren't robots and have bad days like any other carriers. Still, completely unacceptable. We're always going on about consistent service on this forum, and I thought SQ had it nailed.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):Waiters playing in a water fountain. I thought people get cained for doing this kind of stuff in Singapore.

Nice report... I have had similar experiences on nearly all my SIN-BKK and SIN-CGK sectors. Last time I got my meal when descent has started. Somebody sternly told me to give my tray back 5 mins later. The last trays ended up in the lavatory because carts were already locked in place. The concept of drinks from the same cart doesn't work, it might if they had the number of crew TG has. I must have downed 5 g&t, wine and some cognac on TGKUL-BKK which is shorter.

Hotel81 looks decent, certainly much better than where I was last time. There were 20 girls lined up in the lobby and they even approached me when I entered with my Filipina gf.

But geylang seems to be the only option to stay because of the way SIN hotel prices go...

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 37):Forgive me if I was exaggerating with the word atrocious, but considering this is Singapore Airlines, the treatment given on your flight should be called as a serious incident to SQ service.

No one airline is perfect.

Quoting dirktraveller (Reply 37):On the other hand, I agree that those passengers are also partly to blame for the situation.

I'd say the passengers were mostly to blame. I've never seen so many fussy passengers in one airplane. Regardless, the crew could have done a much better job handling this.
This is a case of the squeakiest wheel always gets the most lube.

Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 41):Nice report... I have had similar experiences on nearly all my SIN-BKK and SIN-CGK sectors. Last time I got my meal when descent has started. Somebody sternly told me to give my tray back 5 mins later.

Wow, another similar story. I guess I must be the first to express this in the forums.

Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 41):The last trays ended up in the lavatory because carts were already locked in place.

Now that's just tacky!

Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 41):The concept of drinks from the same cart doesn't work, it might if they had the number of crew TG has. I must have downed 5 g&t, wine and some cognac on TGKUL-BKK which is shorter.

Thai Airways is the way to go!
Perhaps they need to be trained by TG staff on how to deal with a full flight on a short route.

Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 41):There were 20 girls lined up in the lobby and they even approached me when I entered with my Filipina gf.

That's because you're a rock star!

Quoting Lufthansa747 (Reply 41):But geylang seems to be the only option to stay because of the way SIN hotel prices go...

I'm not going to spend a large amount of ca$h on a hotel in Singapore. I'll do that in Japan or a nice beach resort somewhere in south Thailand or in the South Pacific.

Quoting RussianGirl (Reply 42):Nice TR! Sorry to hear about bad serv. on board. Glad that return flight was better! Hope, you will have only perfect flights in future!

Thanks RussianGirl. It wasn't so bad. The return flight was great and I still want to fly on their A380.

Whenever I flew Singapore I always got kosher meals,I'm Jewish and I got my meals first! I always got questions about what Kosher was from my seatmate and once from a Singapore Girl. Very nice to share my heritage with them, I love Singapore Airlines. Will always fly when I can.

So all one has to do is bellyache about their food hangups due to their own personal religious/political beliefs to get their meals served in a timely manner on a short-haul flight on Singapore Airlines.
Duly noted.

A shame to read this report but it is all very true. I haven't flown SQ J for a while (as I have not been employed for a while) but I have flown them in Y recently and indeed the service in Y has gone down to the same standards as TR, 3K, etc. Big shame. I flew SQHKG - SIN about two weeks ago and when the FA came around with water, OJ, and apple juice, I asked for OJ, which had finished, and she said she would bring more. She came around with another big tray of drinks but totally ignored me. I also found crew to be very forgetful on previous flights to HKG.

Having said that, I don't find this to be the case in long haul Y on SQ. Having flown SQ to CDG earlier this year and to SFO late last year, I found their long haul crew, even in Y, to be quite good. They all happened to be Singaporean as well. I found the crew on short haul flights are not, e.g. Taiwanese, Chinese, Malaysian, etc. Could it be they don't feel such a tie to the airline?

Quoting Coal (Reply 46):LOL! I am sure you stayed in Geylang purely for the durian

No durian. The place Ryanair!!! took me to served stir fry beef, chicken with vegetables. The food was incredible.

Quoting Coal (Reply 46): indeed the service in Y has gone down to the same standards as TR

My return flight was still great.

Quoting Coal (Reply 46):Having said that, I don't find this to be the case in long haul Y on SQ. Having flown SQ to CDG earlier this year and to SFO late last year, I found their long haul crew, even in Y, to be quite good.

I still want to fly them trans-Pacific to Los Angeles on their A380. I'm probably the only person that cross-shops Singapore Airlines with Philippines Airlines.
If Philippines Airlines business class ticket isn't too much different than Singapore Airlines coach then I'll take Philippines Airlines. I want to get their A340 and 747.

Quoting Coal (Reply 46):They all happened to be Singaporean as well. I found the crew on short haul flights are not, e.g. Taiwanese, Chinese, Malaysian, etc. Could it be they don't feel such a tie to the airline?

Singapore Airlines has been declining in the past years in terms of their customer service. Before anyone flames me, I have lived in Singapore for 2 years and have travelled there all the time ever since I was a baby as my mom is Singaporean. I have had the occasional rude flight attendant both of which I didn't take too seriously, but the most recent experience my mother had with her national airline was the last straw.

My dad has bought a ticket for my mom on Singapore Airlines website for flight from Mumbai to Singapore, and with their India flight they require some sort of credit card verification (which is ridiculous as this is 2013) So while my dad was in another city, my mom was in Mumbai. She headed to the main office in the Taj hotel with a copy of my dad's credit card, her ticket, and a copy of his passport. Yet the Singapore Airlines Agent was rude, VERY RUDE, and demanded that the person who holds the credit card be present (which is ridiculous). My dad called up and proceeded to explain to her that we have done this a dozen times before, but she refused, he even offered to fax in any document she required. She continued to refuse and was making it more difficult than it needed to be, she then threatened my mother and telling her she will remove her from the flight unless she bought another ticket (my mom was travelling with her mother, so she needed to be on the flight to take care of her).

My mom agreed and took out some US$ from her purse, but the lady refused saying that they don't accept foreign currency and told her there was a money changer close by. After my mom returned with the Rupees, the agent stated that because she didn't go to a bank she had to write down all the serial numbers of the bill to verify its real (wtf?????). My mom got nervous now because she knew the lady was just doing this to humiliate her, so she made a copy of the serial numbers as evidence before the agent got a chance to call the day of the flight and state the bills are fake just to get my mom off the flight. At this point my mom was almost close to tears and didn't expect such service from Singapore Airlines. She got the refund from the previous ticket and ended up having a decent flight with her mom to Singapore. Yet despite numerous complaints and yelling on the phone Singapore Airlines offered only the usual corporate bs as an apology and didn't pursue the matter. Singapore Airlines lost my entire family as paying customers as we would always book a flight with them even though they were as always more expensive. As much as Air France has a bad name in customer service, over 20 years of flying with them and KLM, we have always been treated with respect and never had an issue with credit card verification nonsense.

Great trip report Superfly! You really did help to show one of the real sides of Singapore Airlines, and that its not as dreamy as they make it out to be! Interesting that you stayed in Geylang, most people definitely don't stay there if in town for business, more for red light district! The Thai A340-600 is beautiful bird, wish I could have a chance to fly on her soon!

Quoting Superfly (Reply 47):I still want to fly them trans-Pacific to Los Angeles on their A380. I'm probably the only person that cross-shops Singapore Airlines with Philippines Airlines.

Hmmm, bad idea. The gates at TBIT are not suited for the A380 (and I think also 77W) to taxi itself in. So, you park remotely, wait abt 20mins for a tug, and get towed to the gate. Adds nearly an hour to your journey.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 48):My dad has bought a ticket for my mom on Singapore Airlines website for flight from Mumbai to Singapore, and with their India flight they require some sort of credit card verification (which is ridiculous as this is 2013) So while my dad was in another city, my mom was in Mumbai. She headed to the main office in the Taj hotel with a copy of my dad's credit card, her ticket, and a copy of his passport. Yet the Singapore Airlines Agent was rude, VERY RUDE, and demanded that the person who holds the credit card be present (which is ridiculous). My dad called up and proceeded to explain to her that we have done this a dozen times before, but she refused, he even offered to fax in any document she required. She continued to refuse and was making it more difficult than it needed to be, she then threatened my mother and telling her she will remove her from the flight unless she bought another ticket (my mom was travelling with her mother, so she needed to be on the flight to take care of her).

My mom agreed and took out some US$ from her purse, but the lady refused saying that they don't accept foreign currency and told her there was a money changer close by. After my mom returned with the Rupees, the agent stated that because she didn't go to a bank she had to write down all the serial numbers of the bill to verify its real (wtf?????). My mom got nervous now because she knew the lady was just doing this to humiliate her, so she made a copy of the serial numbers as evidence before the agent got a chance to call the day of the flight and state the bills are fake just to get my mom off the flight. At this point my mom was almost close to tears and didn't expect such service from Singapore Airlines. She got the refund from the previous ticket and ended up having a decent flight with her mom to Singapore. Yet despite numerous complaints and yelling on the phone Singapore Airlines offered only the usual corporate bs as an apology and didn't pursue the matter. Singapore Airlines lost my entire family as paying customers as we would always book a flight with them even though they were as always more expensive. As much as Air France has a bad name in customer service, over 20 years of flying with them and KLM, we have always been treated with respect and never had an issue with credit card verification nonsense.

My goodness! That's beyond bad customer service! That is downright evil on her part. I just don't get this sort of personality trait. Some people seem to get pleasure out of other people's misery. That is really sad when you encounter these sorts of people when they have an advantage over you. Sad to read about this. I expect this from a TSA agent in the US or from a customs official but not an SQ employee.
She may be friends with the flight attendant on my BKK-SIN flight.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 48):Great trip report Superfly! You really did help to show one of the real sides of Singapore Airlines, and that its not as dreamy as they make it out to be!

Well they can be dreamy when they want to be. I've had great experiences on Singapore Airlines before but this one bad flight I had to bring up. Now others are coming out of hiding and sharing similar experiences. It seems like there is an unwritten rule among aviation enthusiast - thou shall not criticize Singapore Airlines.
Glad to hear others speak up.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 48): Interesting that you stayed in Geylang, most people definitely don't stay there if in town for business, more for red light district!

Well that has more to do with having a cheap boss. He saw a cheap hotel in Singapore and put me there.

Quoting Coal (Reply 49):Hmmm, bad idea. The gates at TBIT are not suited for the A380 (and I think also 77W) to taxi itself in. So, you park remotely, wait abt 20mins for a tug, and get towed to the gate. Adds nearly an hour to your journey.

Not a problem for me. Los Angeles would be my final destination and therefore, no connecting flights to worry about. I'm never in a rush to get to Los Angeles so an extra hour on a A380 is fine with me. Also the SQ A380 arrives in to Los Angeles at 1:30PM. There is plenty enough time to go straight to the In-N-Out after I arrive.
Now if the flight arrived at 11:30PM or later, that would be of concern because In-N-Out closes at 1:00AM.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 51):My goodness! That's beyond bad customer service! That is downright evil on her part. I just don't get this sort of personality trait. Some people seem to get pleasure out of other people's misery. That is really sad when you encounter these sorts of people when they have an advantage over you. Sad to read about this. I expect this from a TSA agent in the US or from a customs official but not an SQ employee.
She may be friends with the flight attendant on my BKK-SIN flight.

Yeah, when my mom called me up that day, I couldn't believe it, I could understand the occasional moody flight attendant, but this was not right at all. What made it more disappointing was the way they tried sweeping ti under the carpet, and deleted my complaints on their Facebook page multiple times.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 51):Well they can be dreamy when they want to be. I've had great experiences on Singapore Airlines before but this one bad flight I had to bring up. Now others are coming out of hiding and sharing similar experiences. It seems like there is an unwritten rule among aviation enthusiast - thou shall not criticize Singapore Airlines.
Glad to hear others speak up.

I think that people are just afraid they are going to get flamed, my mother's brother and cousin exclusively fly SQ despite some bad experiences they have had as well. Seems that SQ seems to have a cult like following, but I am voting with my wallet as their prices are substantially more expensive for the so called "service" that is worth an extra $1000 or so per person.

Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 51):Well that has more to do with having a cheap boss. He saw a cheap hotel in Singapore and put me there.

That makes sense, Singapore is after all one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Perhaps it's because they have a lot of miles already invested in that airline. Getting an upgrade to First Class or Business is a real treat - especially on SQ.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 53):Seems that SQ seems to have a cult like following,

That's true. You should see some of the hate-mail I've received over this report.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 53):their prices are substantially more expensive for the so called "service" that is worth an extra $1000 or so per person.

I've found their prices to be competitive but I usually book at the last minute. Ironically the airline I love to hate (Air Asia) is always the most expensive option. Including this time. Air Asia was $120 (USD) more than Singapore Airlines when I booked this flight.
Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines were both the cheapest options and were the same price. Too bad the TG A340-600 flight was fully booked in both directions.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 53):That makes sense, Singapore is after all one of the most expensive cities in the world.

True. He is a cheap boss with a good sense of humor too.
He did ask me about my hotel stay after I returned and he had a smirk on his face. I told him he should put all of our employees in that hotel including himself when visiting Singapore....

It's like you said 1000+ SQ trip reports, with the golden rule of "thou shall not criticize Singapore Airlines"... It's your amusing reports that make the difference. Hence I was curious when it was going to be on here.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 54):That's true. You should see some of the hate-mail I've received over this report.

Wow, so if you have a bad experience with SQ you can't report it?

Quoting Superfly (Reply 54):I've found their prices to be competitive but I usually book at the last minute. Ironically the airline I love to hate (Air Asia) is always the most expensive option. Including this time. Air Asia was $120 (USD) more than Singapore Airlines when I booked this flight.
Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines were both the cheapest options and were the same price. Too bad the TG A340-600 flight was fully booked in both directions.

Thats interesting that AirAsia was the most expensive option, maybe some SQ was having a summer special? I remember when I was booking a flight from Singapore to Bali, SQ was charging the more for economy than KLM was charging for business class.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 54):True. He is a cheap boss with a good sense of humor too.
He did ask me about my hotel stay after I returned and he had a smirk on his face. I told him he should put all of our employees in that hotel including himself when visiting Singapore....

Hahaha, he definitely has a sense of humour, what was his reaction to putting everyone in that hotel?

Quoting kl838 (Reply 57):Wow, so if you have a bad experience with SQ you can't report it?

They have their fanboys out in full-force. We better be careful because we may end up getting cained on our next trip to Singapore.

Quoting kl838 (Reply 57):Thats interesting that AirAsia was the most expensive option, maybe some SQ was having a summer special?

Air Asia is always the most expensive option on the many flights I've taken throughout Asia in the 3 years I've been living here. If there is any airline that is over-rated it's Air Asia. It's the Ryan Air of Asia, yet people love the torture.
I just don't get it.

I find that SQ fanboys only exist on this site. Many of SQ loyalists are openly critical on the SQ forum and routinely bring up their concerns with management. I don't see why there are so many people on Airlines.Net that think SQ as some god-like enterprise. That's unhealthy.

"I do not yet know of a man who became a leader as a result of having undergone a leadership course." - Lee Kuan Yew

Quoting SIA747Megatop (Reply 59):I find that SQ fanboys only exist on this site. Many of SQ loyalists are openly critical on the SQ forum and routinely bring up their concerns with management. I don't see why there are so many people on Airlines.Net that think SQ as some god-like enterprise. That's unhealthy.

But, I thought this was the site with all the industry experts...

I didn't know that there was a dedicated SQ forum. That seems to be a bit much. Rather than ratting out specific crew members (I really hate tattle-tellers) , perhaps they just need to change their system on serving meals.
Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Philippines Airlines have no problem serving full service flights on 2-3 hours flights.
Putting other passengers ahead of others simply because of their personal hang-ups over food is poor customer service.

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):To me, flying on a twin on a route where a 4-holer is an option is sacrilege.

Every time I've flown the SIN-BKK route it has been on the TG A340-600... The SQ twin was not even considered despite my slight preference for the SQ service under normal conditions...

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):As I’m walking to my gate, I see the beautiful Thai Airways A340-600 that I really wanted to fly on pushing back and headed for Singapore.

Oh, what a tease that must have been!

Quoting Superfly (Thread starter):After 1 hour, we finally get our meals. It was good but not as good as the meal I had several years ago when I flew this route. It was chicken curry with rice and shrimp salad.
The beverage cart comes around and I asked for a whiskey & coke. The flight attendant gives me an annoyed look and asked if I wanted juice instead.
I gave her a stern look and pointed to the bottle of whiskey already on the beverage cart and told her I’ll have a whiskey coke.
What the hell?!?!?
I guess she didn’t know. When Superfly ask for a whisky & coke, don’t offer Hawaiian Punch! You ask Superfly if he wants it shaken or stirred!
...and don’t forget the swizzle stick!

Here's an updated one... Singapore Girls have been improved and didn't see any fault but there's something minor which is somewhat funny.

I have never seen that blue (uniform) Singapore girl looked somewhat a little bad tempered. She was busy to serve meals to pax but felt annoyed when the same pax with family kept walking down the aisle many times. Her goal was to finish quickly before landing but that same pax still kept interrupting her. She forced her trolley very harsh like hot tempered and made funny noise "grrrrrr". We saw that and thought what she was doing. She shouted to same pax in polite way like "get out quickly". She was really afraid of her.

Now she was so calm and relax when asking pax to choose meal they like.

That may have been 14 years ago. Were you at the first SFO Airliners.net meet in December 2000?
We had all met in the TWA lounge at SFO.
Impossible to do now. That was pre-9/11. We were all non-ticket holders inside the airport terminal spotting aircraft. TWA is now gone as well.

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 67):Every time I've flown the SIN-BKK route it has been on the TG A340-600... The SQ twin was not even considered despite my slight preference for the SQ service under normal conditions...

That Thai Airways A340-600 to Singapore fills up quick!
Glad I got the chance to experience that just 1 month later.

Quoting FlyboyOz (Reply 68):I have never seen that blue (uniform) Singapore girl looked somewhat a little bad tempered. She was busy to serve meals to pax but felt annoyed when the same pax with family kept walking down the aisle many times. Her goal was to finish quickly before landing but that same pax still kept interrupting her. She forced her trolley very harsh like hot tempered and made funny noise "grrrrrr". We saw that and thought what she was doing. She shouted to same pax in polite way like "get out quickly". She was really afraid of her.

Now she was so calm and relax when asking pax to choose meal they like.

That's a funny story. I still like Singapore Airlines an would love to get their A380 to Los Angeles. It was impossible to do a BKK-NRT-LAX pairing of Thai an Singapore A380s without buying separate tickets.

Quoting Superfly (Reply 69):Quoting chiawei (Reply 66):
How is life in Thailand?

I am still living in bay area. But travel very frequently to Asia for work.

Thailand is great! Let me know next time you're in Asia. Try to get a trip to Bangkok. I know of some good spotting locations at Don Mueang.

I played a round of golf at Kantarat @ DMK back in July and it was awesome! The spotting was great, as well as having a caddy. All I had to do was swing the golf club when told and apart from that all I did was take pics of planes - about 350 pics and a few videos LOL. Seeing the L-1011s was great and walking across that taxiway... I will try to play a round there once a year if I can

Quoting Superfly (Reply 69):Quoting 777Jet (Reply 67):
Every time I've flown the SIN-BKK route it has been on the TG A340-600... The SQ twin was not even considered despite my slight preference for the SQ service under normal conditions...

That Thai Airways A340-600 to Singapore fills up quick!
Glad I got the chance to experience that just 1 month later.

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 70):I played a round of golf at Kantarat @ DMK back in July and it was awesome! The spotting was great, as well as having a caddy. All I had to do was swing the golf club when told and apart from that all I did was take pics of planes - about 350 pics and a few videos LOL. Seeing the L-1011s was great and walking across that taxiway... I will try to play a round there once a year if I can

I've played a few rounds there. I'm a terrible golfer but love to go there for plane spotting. There I saw a New Zealand Airlines 777 take off, a DC-3 and a Bahrain 747-SP.
Let me know when you're in Bangkok again. We can go there an play a round of golf & plane spotting.
After that, we can go in to town an get in to trouble...

Yeah... it should be okay to fly with Singapore airlines to USA. I'm sure that they will not give you bad experience as I have flown on 4 flights. I had a great time sitting on the new seat with large IFE.

Quoting chiawei (Reply 72):Singapore i do go alot. May be i will try to swing a trip to Bangkok.

That would be nice. No point in coming all the way out here only to go to Singapore. You should tag on a trip to Bangkok as well.

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 73):When I was there there was a Thai Air Focre jet doing an engine run for about 5 mins... It was so loud but awesome... Nonetheless, it was loud enough that I shanked a tee shot

Nice!

Quoting 777Jet (Reply 73): I also wouldn't mind doing some spotting at BKK - are there good places to spot around the swamp???

Don Mueang is a better airport to spot at. There is a bicycle path that circles Suvanumbhumi that is best for spotting.
You'd look odd on a bike path without a bike.

Quoting FlyboyOz (Reply 74):Yeah... it should be okay to fly with Singapore airlines to USA. I'm sure that they will not give you bad experience as I have flown on 4 flights. I had a great time sitting on the new seat with large IFE.

Longer flights should be easier to serve. This particular report wont deter me from flying SQ in the future. I really want to fly their A380.